What Forth Engineering (Cumbria) Ltd does

Forth Engineering (Cumbria) Ltd is a privately-held UK specialist engineering company founded in 2000 by Mark and Nicola Telford, headquartered at Flimby, Maryport, with additional operating bases at Cleator Moor and Barrow-in-Furness and a new R&D facility in Malta (established 2026). The company designs, develops and manufactures bespoke robotics and remote operating systems that remove humans from hazardous environments, operating across nuclear, oil & gas, renewables, utilities, subsea/marine and agriculture verticals. Flagship in-house products include the RESURGAM underwater friction stir welding robot, the A2I2 autonomous underwater inspection vehicle with SLAM and computer vision, the RADBLAD modular AI-enabled wind turbine blade inspection robot, the NAVCAM pipeline inspection tool, the Tipperbot for nuclear sludge handling, a permanently-stationed rescue robot on a JCB platform, and a family of specialised retrieval and pipeline repair crawlers (FSWBot, Pig Retrieval). Forth also operates the Deep Recovery Facility (DRF) — a 1.2 million litre indoor wet test pool used for internal R&D and external client testing.

Revenue is generated primarily through project-based, quote-priced bespoke engineering contracts with enterprise and government clients in highly regulated industries (Sellafield Ltd, Magnox, BAE Systems, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Westinghouse, Shell, EM&I, OneSubsea), supplemented by a Trade Counter retail channel selling engineering supplies including Milwaukee Tools battery-powered products. The company runs a sales-led, problem-statement-driven GTM model that brings clients, project partners and stakeholders into collaborative solution design from the outset. Recent strategic actions include a reported 50% increase in turnover and 20% workforce growth over the trailing 12 months, the acquisition of HallPack Engineering (June 2025), the opening of a £250,000 in-house machine shop, a second six-year lease extension and team doubling at Barrow, and a leadership transition in November 2025 in which founder Mark Telford moved from Managing Director to CEO and long-tenured Projects Director Graham Cartwright was promoted to Managing Director.

Forth operates through wholly-owned subsidiaries Forth Fabrications (Barrow-based fabrication for BAE Systems' submarine division and other industries), Forth Malta Ltd (European operations) and the recently acquired HallPack Engineering, and is embedded in multiple strategic consortia including Resolve, ADAPT, the RESURGAM 11-partner EU project and the A2I2 consortium, as well as a formal collaborative partnership with Actemium Design UK. The company has remained family-controlled with no external funding rounds disclosed.

Name

Forth Engineering (Cumbria) Ltd

Legal name

Forth Engineering (Cumbria) Ltd

Website

https://forth.uk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Forth Engineering (Cumbria) Ltd is a privately-held UK specialist engineering firm that designs and manufactures bespoke robotics and remote operating systems for hazardous environments, serving nuclear, oil & gas, renewables, utilities, subsea/marine and agriculture clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Robotics & Bespoke Engineering

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Oil and Gas Field Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333132), Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment (3533), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Underwater Inspection, Maintenance & Repair (UWILD, Diving/ROV, In-water Cleaning) (IMAJAFAJ), Hydraulic, Pneumatic & Fluid Power Systems MRO (Cylinders, Pumps, Valves, Hoses) (TLAKAHAI)

Keywords

• Bespoke engineering robotics
• Nuclear decommissioning equipment
• Underwater inspection systems
• Remote handling automation
• Hazardous environment robotics

Headquarters

HQ city

Flimby, Maryport

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Bespoke Engineering Solutions: Forth creates, develops and manufactures bespoke, purpose-built solutions for clients in highly regulated industries. Revenue is generated through project-based engineering contracts solving specific client challenges, including design, manufacturing, testing and deployment of custom robotics and equipment.
2. Trade Counter Sales: The company operates a Trade Counter selling tools, equipment and supplies including Milwaukee Tools battery-powered products. Retail sales of engineering supplies and tools.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Forth Engineering creates, develops and manufactures bespoke, purpose-built robotic and remote-operating engineering solutions that remove the need for humans to work in hazardous environments across nuclear, oil & gas, renewables, utilities, sub-sea marine and agriculture industries. The company also operates the Deep Recovery Facility (a 1.2 million litre indoor wet test pool) for R&D, testing and demonstrations, and a Trade Counter for retail sales of tools and equipment.

Product overview

Forth Engineering is a specialist engineering company delivering bespoke, purpose-built solutions for hazardous and safety-critical environments. The company operates three UK bases (Flimby, Leconfield/Cleator Moor, Barrow) with a fourth planned in Malta. Their product portfolio centers on robotics and remote systems that remove humans from hazardous environments: NAVCAM for utility pipeline inspection, RADBLAD for wind turbine blade inspection using AI, Tipperbot and Rescue Robot for nuclear decommissioning, robotic arms for nuclear waste handling, and A2I2/RESURGAM for autonomous underwater operations. They also operate the Deep Recovery Facility - one of the UK's largest indoor water test facilities - and maintain a trade counter. Solutions span nuclear, oil & gas, renewables, utilities, subsea/marine, and agriculture sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Deep Recovery Facility (DRF) Indoor water test facility holding 1.2 million litres of water (22.5m x 10m x 6m), used for R&D, testing and demonstrations of underwater robotics and technology for nuclear, oil & gas, marine and renewables clients.
• NAVCAM Pipeline Inspection System

Quantifiable outcome

• Forth's innovations for the nuclear industry accelerate decommissioning by several years – saving industry millions of pounds and reducing the tax burden on the UK population
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Baton of Hope Cumbria PartnershipminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 September 2025Forth's Business Liaison Manager Ken Johnston on the Cumbria Baton of Hope committee. Event partners include The Decommissioning Alliance (TDA), Sellafield Ltd, Goodlives, and others. The Baton tour started at Forth and Sellafield Ltd's Engineering Centre of Excellence.
• Milwaukee ToolsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 27 October 2022Partnership to sell Milwaukee Tools battery-powered products from Forth Trade Counter, supporting Forth's carbon neutral journey. Products include chainsaws, cut-off saws, cordless drills, lawnmowers, hedge trimmers and leaf blowers.
• Resolve Engineered Solutions ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between Forth, React Engineering, Core Nuclear Solutions and COMS. Forth demonstrated the Emergency Response Mini Digger to Japanese government delegation. The consortium represents how SMEs can work together to deliver complex engineering projects within the nuclear sector.
• Industrial Solutions Hub (iSH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerForth works closely with iSH, a campus enabling collaboration between industry and SMEs. iSH coordinated the Japanese government delegation visit to Forth and the local supply chain. Leconfield Industrial Estate is part of the wider iSH campus.
• Actemium Design UK (formerly North West Projects)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal collaborative partnership to provide cradle to grave engineering services. Actemium provides design and substantiation services while Forth develops assets through mechanical and electrical engineering. Already delivering successful tenders for design, build and testing including specialist underwater lifting equipment for Sellafield.
• ADAPT (Altrad Babcock, Atkins, Orano Joint Venture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerForth facilitating mock chimney demolition project at Leconfield for trial run ahead of actual Pile 1 chimney demolition at Sellafield. ADAPT designed SPIDA hydraulic demolition platform. Project creates up to 30 jobs on site each day.
• RESURGAM European ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Commission funded project with 11 partners from 7 countries developing world-first underwater robot for ship hull repairs using friction stir welding. Forth serves as Technical Manager. Partners include The Welding Institute, University of Lancaster, Element Six, ACLUNAGA, AISTER, European Welding Federation, University of Limerick, TU Delft, STIRWELD, Engitec Systems International, GISBIR.
• A2I2 Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutonomous Aquatic Inspection and Intervention project led by Rovco, supported by Innovate UK. Partners include Forth, Rovco, D-RisQ, National Oceanography Centre, Thales UK, University of Manchester. Project developing autonomous underwater vehicles for hazardous environments with estimated £75 million savings for UK subsea industry.
• FSWBot Project PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovate UK-backed project with partners TWI, Joining 4.0 Innovation Centre (partnership between TWI and Lancaster University), Innvotek, London South Bank University. Developing friction stir welding robotic crawler for internal pipeline repair.
• Britain's Energy Coast Business Cluster (BECBC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerManaging Director Graham Cartwright elected to BECBC Board. The cluster supports collaboration and practical solutions for SMEs in West Cumbria's energy and nuclear sectors.
• Cumbria Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMember of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce for business networking and regional collaboration.
• Electech Innovation ClusterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMember of Electech innovation cluster for technology and innovation collaboration.
• iSHCO (Industrial Solutions Hub)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMember of iSHCO for industry collaboration and business support.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Nuvia: International nuclear engineering, safety and decommissioning services provider. Competes with Forth for nuclear decommissioning contracts across the UK, France and broader European market.
• Wood Group: Global engineering and consulting firm with material exposure to O&G, nuclear and renewables. Competes with Forth on pipeline integrity and FSWBot-style repair opportunities in upstream and midstream markets.
• Mirion Technologies: Nuclear measurement and safety technology company with robotics exposure. Adjacent competitor to Forth in nuclear decommissioning tooling, though focused more on detection and characterization than mechanical intervention.
• Cavendish Nuclear (Babcock International): UK's largest nuclear services provider under Babcock International. Overlaps with Forth in Sellafield and NDA decommissioning work but operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• Jacobs Solutions: Global engineering services firm with nuclear, defense and O&G divisions. Overlaps with Forth's bespoke engineering offering across nuclear decommissioning and pipeline integrity work at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• TWI (The Welding Institute): UK welding research and technology organization. Directly comparable as Forth's R&D partner on RESURGAM and FSWBot projects, with overlapping expertise in friction stir welding for nuclear and marine applications.
• OC Robotics: Bristol-based developer of snake-arm robots for nuclear pipe inspection and hazardous environments. Directly competes with Forth in bespoke robotic systems for nuclear decommissioning and confined-space applications.
• REACT Engineering: Nuclear engineering services firm and fellow member of the Resolve consortium alongside Forth. Directly competes in bespoke nuclear engineering and decommissioning services for Sellafield and Magnox.
• Rovco: UK-based subsea robotics and autonomous underwater vehicle company. Directly comparable to Forth as the lead partner on the A2I2 autonomous underwater robot project and operates in the same underwater inspection intervention space.
• Createc: Cumbrian-based technology company specializing in nuclear remote handling, radiation-tolerant sensing and robotic deployment. Direct competitor to Forth in the Sellafield supply chain for bespoke nuclear robotics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ForthEngineer
• Facebookfacebook.com/ForthEngineeringCumbriaLtd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forth-engineering-cumbria-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/forthengineering

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forth Engineering (Cumbria) Ltd